


Connection

by anditwasjustathought



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Friendship Development, Gen, Mentions of past abuse, Peridot shows Pearl her dork side
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-15
Updated: 2018-02-15
Packaged: 2019-03-19 03:06:23
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,355
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13695588
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/anditwasjustathought/pseuds/anditwasjustathought
Summary: Set in mamabutts' "A Long Way from Home" 'verse, after chapter 19. Peridot is struggling with the revelation that Pearl truly is a conscious being. She decides it's something that should be talked about. Of course, being Peridot, that involves an awful lot of putting her foot in her mouth. (Rating is for references to mature themes)





	Connection

**Author's Note:**

  * For [MamaButts](https://archiveofourown.org/users/MamaButts/gifts).
  * Inspired by [A Long Way From Home](https://archiveofourown.org/works/4572333) by [MamaButts](https://archiveofourown.org/users/MamaButts/pseuds/MamaButts). 



> There's nothing graphic here, but the rating is because of references to the recordings made in chapters two and six, as well as the cruelty Peridot treated Pearl with throughout the original fic.

Peridot was up to something, and Pearl could not for the life of her figure out what. For the past three hours— _three hours!—_ she ordered her around the main room of her tiny apartment, tasking her with all sorts of trivial little projects. It was all in the name of ‘further analysis’, as she had mentioned barely a week ago in the very same room. At first the tasks made sense, as far as ‘providing observable and incontestable evidence of independent thought’ went. But the more time passed, the more it became clear that Peridot wasn’t conducting any sort of analysis at all.

She was stalling, and Pearl’s patience was growing _very_ thin.

“Um,” Peridot mumbled around the finger she’d been gnawing on for the past five minutes. Her eyes darted around the room. Was she nervous? She sure sounded like it. “I suppose it’s been a while since I’ve dusted—"

With an angry hiss, Pearl slammed the wrench she was holding down on the workbench with enough force to make its contents jump, sending dozens of bolts and screws and metal scraps clattering to the floor.

“Now listen here, you insufferable twerp—”

“I’ll do it!” Peridot yelped as she thrust her arms forward in a placating gesture. “That’s what I meant, that _I_ would dust while _you,_ uh…ahh…” She deflated with a groan. Then she took a deep breath, straightened her posture, and steepled her fingers. “Look, I’ve been thinking—”

“Have you now?” Pearl said in a mock-surprise, crossing her arms in front of her chest. “I wasn’t aware you were capable of it.”

“Well I wasn’t aware _you_ were capable of it!”

Oh. So that’s what this was really about. Peridot wasn’t looking for more data. She was struggling to process the data she _had._ Just like that, the tension between them was gone. Awkward, stifling silence replaced it. Pearl frowned. Was Peridot feeling remorse? Was she going to try to apologize for all she’d done, everything she’d put her through?

Was Pearl ready to accept such an apology?

Before she could even begin to consider, Peridot spoke up again. She wouldn’t meet Pearl’s eyes. “There was a call log discrepancy on my finger screen a few months ago. It showed that a transmission had been sent to Earth when I had done no such thing. It was the same day you came to pick up that capacitor. It never occurred to me to connect the two. Now I realize…” She chewed her lip, crossed her arms, chewed an errant finger with her arms still crossed and head turned away, all while making a variety of distressed, hesitant noises. Pearl couldn’t help but feel a little sympathy. She also couldn’t help but wonder where in the world Peridot was _going_ with this. So she’d been found out, long after it would have mattered, and a little after Peridot would have cared. So why bring it up?

“I have decided to allow—UGH!” Metal arms and floating fingers were thrown about, and she gritted her teeth in frustration. Then, she did meet Pearl’s eyes. “If you would…like to,” she started in a near-mumble, “I would be willing to…let you _borrow,_ my screen. On occasion. At your leisure of course. Maybe…once a week? Perhaps in conjunction with…” She trailed off, and her eyes widened. She looked confused, then _panicked._ Pearl couldn’t fathom why, until she realized she was trembling. Peridot took it as a sign of distress.

“You don’t have to,” she said with a handwave that was meant to be dismissive but looked more like she was trying to get rid of nervous energy. “It was just a suggestion, just a silly little thought I had, no big deal if it’s not conducive to— _WOAH!”_ She went to casually lean her hand against the back of a chair and missed, resulting in her flailing about and trying to grab it to stabilize herself. Instead both she and the chair ended up in a heap on the floor.

Another time, Pearl might have laughed. Now, she could only gawk. Her voice came out quiet, full of awe and disbelief.

“Are you serious?”

“Why wouldn’t I be?” Peridot scrunched up her face as she righted herself, and the chair. She stood in silence for a few moments, then let out an exasperated sigh. The biting tone Pearl was familiar with returned. “Well? Do you want to call your friends or not?”

_Your friends._ The term sounded strange coming from Peridot, and Pearl doubted she thought to use it herself. Jasper must have spoken to her. Or she had gone to Jasper. It didn’t matter. In either case, her acceptance of her being the Crystal Gems’ _equals_ spoke volumes.

“Yes,” she gasped, half in a daze. “Yes, I—of course, I’d love to! Peridot, that…you have _no idea_ how much that would mean to me.”

“It would be one-way transmissions only,” She cautioned. She looked a little uncomfortable at how emotional Pearl was getting. How strange, for Peridot to view her with discomfort instead of distaste. “Just like the oth—like the last one you sent. From here. In my apartment.”

The not-quite-quick but very much awkward save made Pearl stifle a chuckle behind her hand. What had almost been said could have stung, _would_ have, were she not so overcome with happiness. “I figured as much. It’s fine. It’s perfect.”

“Oh. Good.” Peridot cleared her throat. “Do you want to send a transmission now? We can discuss a set schedule afterwards. Or another day. You know, whatever.” She shrugged so dramatically her shoulders could have disappeared into her hair.

            Pearl barely even noticed. Her eyes were wide again, staring right at Peridot’s face, but her mind was far too focused on what she said.  _ Now. _ She was offering to let her contact her friends, her  _ family, _ now. Unplanned. Unrehearsed. Not held back by constraints of time or a need for secrecy. And she would know, and would be able to tell them, that they would without a doubt be hearing from her again. And again. And  _ again _ . And soon.

            She wasn’t sure she could handle it without there being more tears than words. No, she knew she couldn’t. But perhaps that wasn’t such a bad thing. They would be happy tears, this time. And there would be plenty of opportunities for messages full of nothing but smiles, if this all panned out. She nodded, already blinking wetness from her eyes.

           “That would be wonderful.”

           “Alright.” Nerves and unease melted away, and Peridot was cool and calculated again as she formed a screen and used her remaining hand to scroll through contact channels. She must have been more prepared for this part. It was more familiar, more routine. A minute later, the awkwardness was there again as she approached Pearl and handed it over. “Here you go. Take as much time as you need. But not too much. I’m sure Jasper is already suspecting we’ve vaporized each other.”

          Pearl laughed. “I’ll try to keep it short.”

          “Good. You do that. I’m…going to give you some privacy,” she mumbled as she headed for the door. It was the one that led to that strange sterile room Pearl had made her last transmission from.

         She was glad she didn’t have to broadcast from there. The main living space, as cramped and messy as it was, suited her far better with its tools and toys and comfortable vibe. Pearl settled down on the bed, surrounded by discarded gadgets she’d fussed with over the day. She glanced at the door when she heard it open.

         “Peridot?”

         “Yes?”

         “Thank you.”

         Peridot hadn’t been expecting that. She stared wide-eyed, then gave a little smile, crooked in contrast with Pearl’s warm one. But both were sincere. With a hint of dark green on her cheeks—embarrassment, surely—she quickly slipped behind the door into the room beyond.

         Once it was closed, Pearl turned her attention to the humming screen in her hands. She wiped her sweater sleeve across her eyes, took a calming breath, and pressed  _ connect. _


End file.
